U.S. patent number 7,546,648 [Application Number 12/056,350] was granted by the patent office on 2009-06-16 for stadium bed.
Invention is credited to Jason R. Steffes.
United States Patent |
7,546,648 |
Steffes |
June 16, 2009 |
Stadium bed
Abstract
A bed, such as for a child, includes a plurality of block
components releasably interconnected to form a ring with an open
area therein large enough for a person to sleep in, the block
components including inner and outer surfaces simulating a stadium
for a professional sport such as football, baseball, soccer, rugby,
hockey, or the like. Accessories such as goal posts, lights, a
score board, and box office seating can be attached to the block
components, and also additional accessories such as pillows, rugs,
mats, mattresses, and the like can be positioned in and around the
bed.
Inventors: |
Steffes; Jason R. (Baroda,
MI) |
Family
ID: |
39791814 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/056,350 |
Filed: |
March 27, 2008 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20080235869 A1 |
Oct 2, 2008 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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60909059 |
Mar 30, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
5/400; 5/907;
5/286; 5/285; 5/201 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47D
7/002 (20130101); Y10S 5/907 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
19/00 (20060101); A47D 7/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;5/400-402,201,286,285,907,917,93.1,2.1 ;D6/388,506 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Grosz; Alexander
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Price, Heneveld, Cooper, DeWitt
& Litton LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) of
provisional application Ser. No. 60/909,059, filed Mar. 30, 2007,
entitled STADIUM BED, the entire contents of which are incorporated
herein.
Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A bed comprising: a plurality of block components each with
inner and outer surfaces and with releasable tongue-and-groove edge
connectors connecting to adjacent ones of the components; the
components, when arranged and interconnected, defining a ring with
sides and ends and an access area, the ring defining an open area
therein large enough for a person to sleep; at least some of the
components including a horizontal slot along a lower portion, and
including a panel that slidably engages the components and both
interlocks the components against disconnection in a vertical
direction and also serves as a mattress support; and wherein at
least one of the block components has a height lower than others of
the block components, the one block component providing an access
into the open area.
2. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the mating tongue-and-groove
connectors define dove-tail-shaped connections.
3. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein some of block components
include an upper surface with accessory connectors shaped to
receive mating connectors on accessories that extend from the some
block components.
4. The bed defined in claim 1, including accessories consisting of
at least one of goal post, score board, stadium-simulating lights,
and box-office-simulating stands.
5. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the outer
surfaces of the block components have surface shapes defining
stadium-simulating features.
6. The bed defined in claim 5, wherein the block components include
inner surfaces simulating bleachers on an interior of the
stadium.
7. The bed defined in claim 1, including accessories consisting of
at least one of pillows, rugs, mats, mattresses, lighting, and
storage.
8. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the block components form a
complete ring.
Description
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to furniture, and more particularly
relates to a bed system constructed for ease of assembly and for
appearance, including accessories for supplementing a theme
appearance.
Modern consumers often decorate a children's bedroom with a theme.
This may include incorporating the theme into furniture. However,
"theme" furniture is often expensive, both due to its low volume
and also due to the way that it is inefficiently packaged for
transport. Also, "theme" furniture can be difficult to assemble.
Also, where younger children are involved, safety is a major
consideration.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, a bed includes a plurality
of block components each with inner and outer surfaces and with
releasable edge connectors connecting adjacent ones of the
components. The components, when arranged and interconnected,
define a ring with sides and ends and an access area, the ring
defining an open area therein large enough for a person to
sleep.
In another aspect of the present invention, a child's bed includes
a plurality of block components interconnected to form a ring with
an open area therein large enough for a child to sleep in, the
block components including an outer surface simulating a stadium
for a professional sport such as football, baseball, soccer, rugby,
hockey, and the like.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of
assembling a bed comprises steps of providing a plurality of block
components with releasable connectors, and interconnecting the
block components to form a ring with an open area therein large
enough for a person to sleep in.
An object of the present invention is to provide furniture that is
reasonably priced, easily packaged for transport, easy to assemble,
and yet provides a dramatic theme-related look.
An object of the present invention is to provide safe furniture,
particularly where younger children are involved.
These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present
invention will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in
the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and
appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present children's bed.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is perspective view of a modified children's bed including
accessories, and where the inner and outer surfaces of the bed are
shaped to simulate a football stadium, the accessories including
some attached to the block components and others positioned
adjacent and associated with the bed.
FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 1 including the tongue and groove
connectors.
FIG. 5 is a top view showing the components of FIG. 1 arranged in a
dense arrangement for shipping.
FIGS. 6-7 are top views showing assembly of side and corners,
respectively, of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 8-10 are top, end, and side views of FIG. 1 including
preferred dimensions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A child bed 10 (FIG. 1) includes a plurality of block components
11-20 releasably interconnected to form a ring with an open area
(shown as a rectangular area on the pattern 21 of FIG. 1) therein
large enough for a child to sleep in. The illustrated block
components 11-20 are blow-molded polymeric components, but it is
contemplated that they can be formed by other molded processes
(such as by extrusion or injection molding), and that they can be
formed of other materials (such as foam, composite, wood product,
etc.). Each of the illustrated block components 11-20 includes
inner and outer surfaces simulating a stadium for a professional
sport such as football, baseball, soccer, rugby, hockey, or the
like. For example, the outer surface can include pillars 22 (FIG.
3), simulated stairs and ramps 22', and concession stands, and the
inner surface can include structures or stickers 23 simulating
stadium seating. It is contemplated that each of these features can
be integrally formed as part of the blocks, or can be formed as
separately attached items.
The illustrated connectors (FIGS. 4, 6-7) include mating dovetail
tongues 25 and grooves 26 that interconnect by a vertical sliding
motion. Their interconnection is easy, very quick, and intuitive to
make, thus simplifying assembly considerably. It is contemplated
that the connectors will interconnect with sufficient friction and
positive interconnection to not require separate fasteners or
secondary fastening. Nonetheless, it is contemplated that screws,
tape, hook-and-loop, or other connecting means can be provided. It
is also contemplated that the tongue-and-groove connections can be
made to provide increased friction at the point of full assembly.
It is also contemplated that other shapes can be used for the
connectors in place of dove-tail-shaped connections, such as
L-shaped, T-shaped, and other headed ridges or protrusions for
engaging similarly-shaped mating grooves. Also, the illustrated
connectors extend from top to bottom of the block components, but
it is contemplated that the connectors need only extend part of a
height of the block components and that one or more connectors can
be formed (e.g. one above the other at spaced locations).
When assembled, the illustrated furniture preferably defines a ring
having a complete perimeter, though it is contemplated that a scope
of the present invention also includes furniture forming only a
portion of a ring. One or more components, such as the illustrated
side components 13 and 18, have a reduced height to provide easy
access for a child. It is contemplated that a gate (either
swing-out gate that is pivoted on one side and latched on another
side . . . or a liftable/removable gate) could be added above the
side components to provide a full-height ring completely around the
child, not unlike a baby crib where the child is more retained in
the open space within the bed. Where the gate is a removable
partial-height gate, the gate can be a block component having a
height sufficient to match a top of other block components when the
gate component is assembled to the bed, such that the entire
perimeter of the bed is substantially at a constant height.
In one version, an inwardly-open slot (for example, see slot 27,
FIG. 2) is formed along a lower portion of the block components, so
that a plywood panel 28 (or bed spring frame or the like) can be
slid horizontally into the slot in a manner that interlocks the
components 11-20 against vertical disconnection. During assembly,
at least one of the end components 15-16 in this version would be
assembled last and would have to be configured to permit vertical
connection without interference from the plywood panel 28. It is
contemplated that this can be accomplished using screw-attached
brackets or by using snap-lock fingers on the end components 15-16
or by providing a bottom groove on the end component that is
downwardly open (thus permitting assembly of the one end
component). Where snap-lock fingers are used, they would be
designed to flex during vertical assembly to allow sliding downward
movement past the plywood panel 28, and then would snap into a
locking position as the end components 15-16 approached a final
assembled position.
Accessories (FIG. 3) such as goal posts 30, lights 31, a score
board 32, and box office seating 33 can be attached to the block
components, such as into holes or other attachment structures on
top of the block components. Also, additional accessories can be
provided, such as pillows 34, parking-lot-simulating rugs 35,
lined-field-simulating mats and blankets 36, lined mattresses 37
(FIG. 2), and the like for positioning in and around the bed.
FIG. 5 shows one dense packaging arrangement, which is particularly
advantageous due to its small package size (which allows for easy
pickup and shipping by customers) and few components densely
positioned for shipping (which lowers shipping costs). The
illustrated package in FIG. 5 has a total long dimension of about 5
feet 4 inches and total short dimension of about 2 feet 8 inches,
using the components noted below. FIGS. 6-7 show particular joints
for assembly. Notably, FIG. 8 shows each of the end components as
an assembly of components, but it is contemplated that the four
components 14, 15, 16, and 17 can be made as a single component. In
fact, it is contemplated that any two or more of the illustrated
block components can be combined into a single block, or that the
existing block components can be broken into two or more
sub-components.
FIGS. 8-10 show one preferred dimensional shape and size for the
various block components 11-20. In FIG. 8, a total length L1 of the
bed is about 8 feet, a total width W1 is about 4 feet 8 inches, a
thickest inside-to-outside width W2 of side block components is
about 8 inches, and a thickest inside-to-outside width W3 of end
block components is about 10 inches. In FIG. 10, a height H1 of the
highest block components is about 2 feet 8 inches, and a height H2
of the lower block components is about 1 foot 4 inches, with a
width W4 of the lower block components being just short of 2 feet 8
inches. However, it will be understood by persons skilled in this
art that differently shaped blocks can be made to replicate
different stadiums.
It is contemplated that different stickers can be made and used,
and different attachable components/accessories can be provided,
such that a wide and diverse number of different stadiums can be
simulated with relatively low manufacturing, inventory, and
distribution/shipping costs. Also, it is contemplated that
universal block components could be made, and also that different
panels (such as plastic sheets/panels for replicating particular
stadiums) could be attached to the outer (or inner) surfaces of the
block components for the purpose of providing different final
appearances on inner and/or outer surfaces of the universal block
component(s).
It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be
made on the aforementioned structure without departing from the
concepts of the present invention, and further it is to be
understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the
following claims unless these claims by their language expressly
state otherwise.
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